


stole my faith (again)

by concertconfetti



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, Long-Distance Friendship, Multi, Mystery, Ventus and Roxas are twins I don't make the rules
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-24 07:03:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17699816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/concertconfetti/pseuds/concertconfetti
Summary: When Axel's best friend Tilly moves back to their home town, Axel is left with little choice but to move into the local Wayfinder Co-op, run by a welcoming botanist (Aqua) and a sarcastic librarian (Terra) and occupied by a gang of unruly college students. But when Terra goes missing in the middle of the semester, it's going to take all of them to figure out what's going on and save their wayward guardian.





	1. this is not the plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tilend is leaving, but not before trying to find Axel a network to rely on.

“You're what?!” 

Axel and Tilden stood in the kitchen, and Tilden was pretty sure Axel was on fire. He was angry, that she'd expected, but the betrayal on his face stung. It was like they were kids again and she'd stolen his sea salt ice cream at the end of recess, except this time, there wasn't the promise of friendship on the other side. 

“Aerith is opening a shop back home and needed a business partner,” Tilden said calmly. “She asked me, and I said yes. So...I'm moving back to Radiant Garden in a couple of weeks.”

Axel paced the length of the kitchen, his hands clenching and unclenching. His face skewed into an angry scowl. “This wasn't the plan!” He growled, anchoring himself on the counter. “we were going to...I mean Christ, Tilly!” Axel deflated ever so slightly. “You couldn’t have talked to me about it first?”

“Lea, you're my best friend but I don’t need your permission to make big life decisions.” 

Axel scraped a hand down his face. She was right, but this made things complicated. _What happened to living together through all the major life shit?_ He thought. He was going to get his masters, and then they'd move back home and change things. Become heroes...in their own way. Besides, Axel had banked on renewing their lease in a few weeks, banked on her presence while he started his graduate program. Banked on having friends around. _Guess I should've known better._

“Look, Lea, I know this wasn’t the plan but…” Conflict danced across Tilly's face. She was always going to run a flower shop back home, this was just quicker than either of them had expected. "Aerith has greenhouses and a lab for my work and you _know_ I wouldn't do this unless it was important." 

The two stood in silence, time stretching to an impossible stillness. Axel felt tears well at the corners of his eyes, and he cast his scowl towards the ground in order to hid it. Tilly looked defiant but he could see the edges of her resolve in the nervous grip of her fingers on her folded arms, her teeth on her bottom lip. He certainly wasn't going to be the reason she stayed. 

“I know you gotta do this," he said hesitantly, speaking more to the bottom of the fridge than to Tilly. "You were going to hate being in limbo here, anyway.” Axel plastered a smile on his face before half-meeting her eyes. “Not like you're gonna be far away or forget about me.”

Tilden snatched Lea’s wrist before he could flee the kitchen; there was the barest tremor in his fingers. She frowned and dragged Axel into a wordless hug. When she pulled back, she smiled.

“You're not getting away from me that easy. I have a few surprises planned before we temporarily part ways,” she said, emphasis on temporary. “‘sides, Xion told me about the place she's living and I figured you'd need people so you and I are visiting the Wayfinder Co-op.”

Axel quirked an eyebrow. “The what?”

The Wayfinder Co-op stood at the edge of campus, more part of Twilight Town proper than the university. It occupied a large, old church, and still sported colorful stained glass windows in the front. Axel squinted; he'd passed this building on walls around town, but hadn't figured it for a co-op. Co-ops were supposed to be disheveled, weeds piled over aborted attempts a gardens and forgotten tool sheds. This place had a standard lawn - it was a week or so past needing to be mowed, but it wasn’t unruly by any means - and a small community garden in the back. Axel could see why Tilden approved of the place. Still, he was skeptical. 

“I dunno, Tilly,” Axel said as Tilden knocked on the main door. 

“Oh, come on, you haven’t even met anyone or seen the inside yet,” Tilden said, rolling her eyes. “I’ve told you you have to actually give people a chance before coming up with all the reasons they hate you.” 

Axel grumbled and shoved his hands into the pockets of his worn, black hoodie. He’d insisted on wearing it despite Tilden’s pleas to wear something different. “If they're going to see me every day, I may as well wear what I wear every day,” he'd said in his defence. Tilden acquiesced but swore she'd toss the thing if he self-sabotaged this “interview”.

Xion answered the door. Axel met the junior (senior, now, he supposed) in his Chemistry seminar on forensics. They'd become fast friends, and Tilly liked her enough that they apparently talked about where to store Axel behind his back.

 _They’re ganging up on me_ , he thought as Xion broke into a smile. 

“Oh good, Tilden convinced you to come,” she said, punching Axel lightly in the arm. “I didn’t think you'd do it.”

“I have my ways,” Tilden said with a grin. The fact was she’d plyed him out of bed that morning with the promise of donuts. But damn if they weren’t good donuts. 

“Good I'm so glad you guys decided to conspire against me.” Axel pulled a pout and Xion punched him again, slightly harder. 

“Just come inside. Aqua’s excited to meet you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, tagging for KH fic got complicated since Dream Drop Distance, didn't it? I had a bugger of a time selecting a name for Axel and I just went with Axel cause that's what he went with in the end.
> 
> Also Tilend is my Union Cross player character. I might explore her and Axel's relationship in a later chapter but for now just know that they're both from Radiant Garden and have dreams of making their home town better. They're known each other since they were kids. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Rating is mostly to future proof the fic. If I never end up leaning into the "mature" stuff, I'll drop it.


	2. house tour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Axel meets the Wayfinder co-op - well, most of them.

Aqua, as it turned out, was a botanist which explained the glowing image Tilden had of this place. They met her in the sun room, color from the large stained glass window danced across their faces. Plants lined every surface, and obscured the blue-haired woman as she tended to some hanging baskets.

“Hey, Aqua, Tilly and Axel are here,” Xion said, waving to get Aqua's attention. Aqua looked up and smiled, placing her pruning sheets on the table. 

“Hello!” She said, smiling brightly. “Welcome to the Wayfinder.” Aqua was tall, about Axel’s height. Her smile was warm, and she looked right at home among the plants and colored lights. “Tilly let us know you might be in need of a place to stay.” 

“Yeah, she’s abandoning me,” Axel said, lifting the back of his hand to his forehead dramatically. “And in my hour of need!” 

“Oh, shove it, Axel.” 

Aqua laughed, causing Axel to smile just the tiniest amount. Perhaps this interview or whatever wouldn’t be the worst thing ever. Tilend rolled her eyes, though he could tell by the grip she maintained on the hem of her shirt that she felt guilty. She shoved the loose ends of her tawny hair out of her face and sighed. 

“Thanks for letting me know about the vacancy,” Tilend said, nodding at Aqua. 

“Of course. We need to fill the space, and we figured someone Xion knew might be a better fit for the house.” Aqua took off her gardening gloves, placing them gingerly on the table with her pruning shears. Everything else about her looks too sporty for the indoor garden space - her shorts and tank-top cling to her form, and she looks a bit like she just came from the gym. “Axel, it’s nice to meet you. Let me show you around the place.” 

“I’ll stay here,” Tilly said, and Axel pulled a face - don’t make me do this alone, it said. “I’m not the one potentially moving in. Play nice, Axel!” Tilly went and sat down with Xion on one of the overstuffed couches, flipping Axel off playfully as she passed. It did sting, having to watch Axel’s discomfort wash over his face. They’d been partners in crime for so long. But this would be good for him, in the end, she was sure of it. 

Aqua took Axel by the arm and walked him towards the kitchen. “I promise, we only bite in self defense,” she said with a smile. Not that encouraging, honestly. 

It was a cozy building, and the main floor’s yellow walls reflected much of the natural light that came in through the windows. The sun room connected to a large common room, filled with overstuffed couches, double chairs, and an old, saggy bean bag. Aqua, however, steered them up the staircase. 

“The first floor is mostly common area, except for Ventus and Terra’s room in the front. They were the only ones willing to put up with the stained glass.” Aqua bounced up the stairs in front of Axel, gesturing here and there as she explained the history of the building. “We had to keep ‘em in order to renovate the place. Terra and I bought this place before the twins - Roxas and Ventus, you’ll meet them here in a minute - started college so we could renovate it and house our friends. It’s cheaper than it should be, honestly, but we still need to fill the rooms.”

“Yeah,” Axel said, searching for something to say. He’d known XIon for a while and Tilly knew Aqua, but he was a bit of a fish out of water. “You mentioned filling rooms. What happened?” 

“Oh, Ienzo graduated, and he moved to Radiant Garden a few weeks ago,” Aqua said. “Roxas thought he’d be okay with the room to himself, but then we didn’t see him for a week. He needs people more than he’d like to admit.” She smiled and shrugged before gesturing to the upper floor. 

The stairs opened into a small, central reading room with a couple of couches flanking a set of stairs up to what must have been a bell tower. Four doors stood on their own, in small alcoves that peered out between bookshelves. 

Aqua walked straight forward and knocked on the door. The two stood there for a while, Axel glancing around and finally looking at the books on the shelf while Aqua tried knocking a few more times. Her loud sigh caught his attention - she pulled out a key from her back pocket. 

“Roxas!” She yelled, “I’m coming in; you’d better be decent!” 

The muffled response came just as Aqua opened the door. A smaller, sleep-addled college student stumbled into view, barely pulling on a tee-shirt over his torso. Axel blinked - the kid looked familiar, likely from his association with Xion, but Axel couldn’t exactly place him. Roxas, frankly, looked like death warmed over, his blonde hair twisted in weird, upward directions. Did he sleep with hair gel in or something? 

“Roxas, I told you a potential renter was coming today,” Aqua said, hands resting on her hips. A true dorm mom if Axel had ever seen one. 

“Yeah, well, I forgot,” Roxas said, stretching his arms over his head. “I’m sure they won’t give a shit anyway. When do they show up?” 

“Hey,” Axel said, leaning farther into the alcove and waving. 

Roxas stopped and stared. Axel was a good head or two taller than him, with long, flame-red hair. He had a loose, Princess Mononoke tank-top on under his black hoodie, and a pair of worn-out jeans. In Axel’s personal opinion, he probably wasn’t much to look at today, but Roxas didn’t stop staring. Like he was trying to place Axel’s face but the synapses weren’t firing properly. 

Axel coughed, which seemed to shake the younger man out of his reverie. “Fuck!” Roxas said as he dove out of Axel’s view toward a pair of pants. Aqua glanced back at Axel, offering an apologetic shrug. 

“He always like this?” Axel asked quietly. Aqua shrugged. Roxas tripped back into view and stuck out a hand. Axel shook it, all limbs. He was never good at introductions. 

“Uh, hi,” Roxas said with the dorkiest smile Axel had ever seen. “I’m Roxas, which uh...right. You know that and uh...this is the room?” He gestured to the space behind him, inviting Axel and Aqua into the room. It was a disaster; clothes and books littered the floor, and the TV on Roxas’ desk was hidden behind a couple of pizza boxes. The space was large enough for two double beds, two dressers and two desks - most of Axel’s things would actually fit in here. 

“I would probably have the place clean before you moved in!” Roxas added, and Aqua shot him a look. 

“You can use any of our furniture, or bring your own,” Aqua said, continuing as best she could with the tour. “And you can always keep movies and such on a labeled shelf in the common room.” 

“Alright,” Axel said, smiling softly. “Not bad, I have to admit.” 

“You’ll move in then?” Roxas asked and the room fell silent for a moment. Axel blinked and watched a slight flush cover Roxas’ face. “Sorry, just - I sort of miss having a roommate, and Xion told me about hanging out with you and Tilly, and the last guy Aqua brought by was a creepy fucker…” 

“I’m sorry about that, Rox - ” 

“It’s fine, Aqua.” Roxas interrupted Aqua, sat on his bed and ran a hand through his hair, the pink in his cheeks fading ever so slightly. Embarrassed. 

“Uh, well, I have don’t I have to interview first?” Axel said, rubbing the back of his head with his off hand. “Make it all official, or whatever?” 

Aqua nodded. “Yeah, though it sounds like Roxas approves.” Roxas buried his head in a book and tried to hide his mortification. “We just have to introduce you to the rest of the house - well, whoever is here - and give you a rundown of the rules.” 

The rest of the house turned out to be the rest of Xion’s friends - Axel and Tilly knew some of them, or had heard stories. Riku, Ventus, Kairi and Terra were chatting in the common room with Xion and Tilly, sprawled out as they all were on various couches and chairs. Everyone sat up a little when Aqua and Axel entered the room. 

“Hey Ax, how’s the upstairs,” Tilly said with a smile. 

“Oh, just peachy,” Axel said, “the new potential roomie is messier than you.” 

Tilly flipped Axel off and Xion gestured to the rest of the room. “Guys, introduce yourselves, please?” 

The silver haired man Axel knew as Riku raised his hand lazily. “We’ve met - I’m Riku, the other chem major in the room.” 

“I’m Ventus,” said the eerie mirror of Roxas sitting next to Riku. “I’m Roxas’ twin brother. English major with a minor in classics.” 

“Hi Axel! Xion’s told us so much about you,” Kairi said, with a smile. “I’m Kairi. I think we met briefly at Halloween last year. I’m studying biochem.” 

“And I’m Terra,” the eldest of the group said with a smile and a wave. “I co-own the place with Aqua. I work at the city library.” 

“Oh yeah, I’ve seen you there before,” Axel said, “usually when I’m picking up Tilly from one of her nerd dates.”

“Fuck off,” Tilly said loudly, trying to be heard over Terra’s laughter. 

The group carried on like this for a while, going over rules for living in the co-op. Everyone was expected to work with each other to keep the space tidy, and respect everyone’s privacy. There was a chore chart that Terra implied was the law of the land, but seemed to Axel that most people traded chores loosely around the house. Someone called Sora - he’d never heard of him, but gathered he was connected to Riku and Kairi somehow - never did dishes or laundry, so it was expected that you’d trade chores with him every once in a while. 

“Sora’s a bum, but at least I never have to do the bathrooms,” Kairi said, grinning. “Don’t know why he prefers cleaning all the shared spaces but hates doing dishes. But here we are.”

“But the chore chart…” Terra tried again to get the group on task, but his housemates weren’t having it.

“Terra, no one has used the chart in two years, give it a break,” Riku said, flicking his wrist like he was brushing it out of the conversation. 

As the conversation turned yet again, Kairi and Xion yelling things at each other and Roxas when he finally made it downstairs. Something about shared food and the pantry, and an accusation that Roxas had eaten all of the sea salt ice cream in their last pack.

“I did not!” Roxas said stepping into the room. “I know for a fact Xion had some.” 

“Yeah, four weeks ago when we had two packs! Roxas you owe this house some ice cream!” 

“I didn’t eat all of it!”

“Yeah, right!” 

Axel caught Tilly looking at him with a grin. He rolled his eyes, but nodded back at her. He could see himself living here - this was the sort of chaos he and Tilly were used to in their friend groups. Everything still sucked, and his best friend was moving soon but this? This wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you just have to write a really long tour scene because you just...gotta get them details in somewhere.


End file.
